Sunday, December 30, 2007

It's always a dilemma, isn't it? All these new books that we have not read –- but there will always be those special books we have read, loved, and promise to re-read. Yet, somehow we never get around to it. We make excuses for not re-reading. (It's complicated -- usually involves another book -- or more.)

Since 2008 shall be the year of reading more deeply, and slowly, I'm taking time to talk a little on one of the titles I'm looking forward to re-reading in the coming year:

I first read C.J. Cherryh's Cyteen during my first (or was that my second?) year in the university. An undergraduate that reads outside the syllabus? Some of my lecturers would be shocked. Back then, I was reading harder than I was studying.

Cherryh has written several science-fiction novels, almost all of them linked in her wider, Alliance-Union universe. These stories are set far into the future where faster-than-light travel (FTL) has led to the development of space stations and merchant vessels –- as well as planetary colonisation. Humans manned these stations and merchant ships, but as generations spend their lives exclusively in space, they evolve, developing whole societies of stationers and merchanters culture -- with their own unique psychologies and problems.

Cyteen is similarly set in the Alliance-Union universe, but it focuses on the planet Cyteen, which was colonised about a century ago. The manpower for colonisation was bred out of womb-tanks, and each generation continued to breed and work. Education was through "tapes" -– learning through sublimation, which allowed skills to be learnt in sufficient depth and speed. All of these -- the breeding facilities and the education tapes -- all of them came from the Reseune labs, directed and devised by Ariane Emory -- who had stood in power for the past fifty years.

Ariane Carnath-Emory -- brilliant scientist, shrewd politician –- a larger-than-life power-player, dark and monstrous -- as much admired as she was hated. Was. Within a few brisk chapters Ariane Emory is assasinated by person unknown. The novel spins all at once into a political thriller, a murder mystery, and a psychological study.

Even as the society of Cyteen is shocked by the assasination, it is revealed in the details of Ariane Emory's will that she had prepared for her genetic material to be cloned after her death – but unaltered. Most importantly, the clone shall be brought up with childhood experiences as close to Ariane Emory's as possible. It is a brutal experiment –- all of it for the sole purpose of recreating a genius the likes of Dr Ariane Emory by replicating genetic and environmental variables in the clone's upbringing. In one of the many purposeful "abuse" -- Dr Ariane Emory was orphaned at a young age when her parents were killed in an accident. To recreate the childhood trauma, the clone's foster parents were taken away at the appropriate age and told her parents were dead. It was a horrific idea -- that all the most significant and painful moments of your life were all scheduled and executed with calculated efficiency: first birthday party at four, lose both parents at eight, lose virginity at eighteen to young man pre-checked by the doctors -- you get the idea. Imagine a childhood that is entirely fabricated; nothing is authentic or left to chance.

While the emotional part of me recognised the horror behind this sort of experiment, and the callousness behind the sytematic infliction of emotional pain on a child -- on an intellectual level, I also understood it. Without intending to, I have begun to identify with the dead Dr Ariane Emory.

Dr Emory left her clone a machine which contains a series of recordings in which she discusses with Ari II her experiences, and where she teaches Ari II what could not be taught by anyone else. Afterall, if Ari II's experiences are programmed to mimick Ariane's own childhood, who else would know what the clone is going through better than herself? It is in these recordings that a more human and compassionate side of the original Ariane Emory reveals itself – which further complicates the understanding of the character whose death precipates the entire plot.

I also believe, it is in these recordings where Ariane Emory refines the education of Ari II -– by drawing out the defining quality of Ariane Emory herself –- her will. As the state controls the circumstances of her upbringing and birth, they will eventually want to control her. It will be her own strength of will that frees her from her would-be jailors.

Towards the end of the novel, young Ari II matures, and destiny manifests itself. She makes her first step into the politicial limelight, showing herself a worthy successor to her legendary genetic mother. As Cyteen embraces her gladly -- such is the power of myth -- Ari II soon learns she has also inherited Ariane's enemies; there is still the mystery of Ariane's unsolved murder. Most of all, there is also a darker implication of the Machiavellian manipulator Ari II might become.

I was an earnest Psychology and English Literature double major then, back in my university days. I was intrigued by Cherryh's novels that uses science fiction as the metaphorical and imaginative template to explore ideas concerning human psychology and sociology. Cyteen was the novel that most fascinated me, because of the complexities of the characters of Ariane (the original) and Ari II (the clone). Our personality and character are "hardwired" into us through our genetic blueprints and environmental influences. But how far can we manipulate these facors to custom-make a desired human template? What about that elusive wildcard -- the human will?

Cyteen was the first novel that drove me to email an author to ask if there was going to be a sequel. (Was I geek or what?) The ending left one wanting more, as the destiny of Ari II had only begun.

Cherryh did write back. She said, yes, there will definitely be a sequel. She just needs to write it. That was about 10 years ago.

On Cherryh's "kind of" blog, there was an entry back in September 2007 where she wrote that the final draft for Cyteen II was finally finished. The draft was under-going editing and would probably need some re-writes. I really hope to be able to see it later part of 2008. Or 2009.

Note:I wrote this post earlier in December 2007, before Carl invited fellow book-bloggers to join him in reading science fiction for the months of January to February 2008. The timing, couldn't be more perfect. I wonder if there are any more C.J. Cherryh fans out there reading her books at this moment?

The Sci-Fi Experience 2008is not a challenge in the traditional sense -- more a friendly invitation where everyone just share their experience of reading some science fiction related books. You don't need a book list -- though you're welcome to have one if you so desire. You can find other bloggers' reviews here.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

As of today I am officially taking a break from Christmas and the New Year (and it's not even Christmas or the New Year yet!)

The past few weeks I have been meeting up with friends for lunch, dinner and tea -- and my usually packed schedule have been overbooked. I am exhausted and I am not meeting anyone for dinner or lunch until 2008. I am also going to stay off my own blog until 2008.

Let's not even talk about shopping. Packing all that shoppers in enclosed space is a bad thing. There are too many people in the world. Really.

That's it. No more. We will still love each other, but I really don't want to see anyone or talk to anyone unless I have to. If I don't talk to you, that means I don't have to snap at you.

Instead, I'm just going to work, going for yoga, then I'm heading home to read. Or watch my DVDs. Or do my chores. I have a lot of ironing to do this week.

To all: Please remember the holidays are to be spent with your family. Forget the consumerism. Forget the shopping. Go home. Love. Forgive. Eat. Drink. Love somemore. But don't take any photos you will regret.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Sometimes, a teacher will remind us to start our yoga practice by setting an intention. It could be anything: an intention to be stronger in balancing poses, to stay with the breath more or to be more mindful. When I first tried Hot Yoga, I was not used to the heat. So my intention was often simply to stay in the room until the end of class. Sometimes, right before a challenging class, my intention is just to try my best. Perhaps the poses are not available to me today. That is fine. I just want to try my best.

I find that setting an intention can serve as a reminder to what is important. It has helped me keep focus.

Some call it Goals, others call it Resolutions – but these words feel too "checklist" to me -- as though the ends is all it matters. I prefer intentions.

Intention guides the action. It conveys purpose, direction and deliberation. Intention is not about achievement or ends. Rather, it is asking yourself why you do what you need to do. There is no deadline, no failure – just working towards a purpose, a mission.

Most importantly, it states an active choice in our actions. That I, out of my own free will, chooses to practice yoga on a regular basis. I choose to be kind. I choose to let go. I choose to be vegetarian. I choose to forgive.

I choose my life.

Every time I reaffirm the power I have over my own life, the difficulties and obstacles that are part and parcel of everyday life becomes just that little bit more bearable.

What are your intentions for 2008? What are your intentions for your life?

Thursday, December 20, 2007

I have the habit of looking to my teachers as my motivation for coming to class. Since B and H (my yoga teachers) left the studio a few months back, I have allowed my practice to slack. I take more days off, choosing to stay in and read, listen to music or just to daydream. There are positive sides to this of course -- I'm allowing myself more rest and quiet time. However, I find it harder to come back to the mat after a prolonged period of inactivity. Rest is also supposed to reinvigorate you, but I'm feeling more sluggish instead, with less energy.

In a way, it feels like trying to get out of bed in the morning, just after the rain. The room and your bed is nice and cool. Your alarm clock is buzzing and you have to get to work -- but -- always the "but" -- it feels so good to just sleep in.

Yoga should be a personal practice and not a "cult of personality" -- you practice for yourself, no matter who is teaching. But we all appreciate a teacher who is compassionate and still able to motivate us to try a little harder, who walk with us as we explore and grow.

So, my intention for 2008 for my yoga practice is this: I renew my commitment to a regular practice. Should I skip class occasionally because I feel lazy, I promise to be kind to myself -- I will just show up the next day without the usual self-recrimination.

January 2008 will be a difficult month to practice, as M, my current yoga teacher -- will be in India advancing her own yoga practice. So, WoYoPracMo is a timely challenge indeed.

M is one of the teachers that joined the studio recently. In his last Anusara class, B said to us: those looking to further our practice in the Anusara tradition should look to M, who had studied under John Friend. I did, and I have found in M a teacher who is strong and kind, and who humbles me with the strength and focus of her classes.

Since I started practicing with M last month, I have regained my momentum for regular practice. Alas, she will be away for 6 week from this Saturday.

I will try to attend other teachers' classes. Most importantly, I will work harder at building strength. M has highlighted how I am more flexible than I am strong, so I tend to over-stretch myself on certain poses that requires flexibility. This explains my occasional strains and pulled muscles.

So, to add to my intentions for 2008: I shall work on building the strength to support my flexibility.

I will also incorporate more Yin Yoga into my practice. My injuries is a reminder that I need to develop the softer side of my practice, to balance the more dominant Yang side of my personality.

As Jill, you are confident, respectful, and a little bit bossy! You have an acquired taste for adventure, and love any challenge that you have to face.

I need help here, because I have not read any Narnia books besides The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe -- who's Jill? Would I be ashamed to be associated with her?

Anyone seen the Prince Caspian trailer yet? It looks a little darker than The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and I caught glimpses of Tilda Swinton -- who will be THE reason for my watching the film.

How did Kaki King sneak in there without my notice? And it's for the soundtrack of Into the Wild?

I find myself slowly warming to the Into the Wildsoundtrack, which has Eddie Vedder (remember Pearl Jam?) playing a variety of acoustic instruments over 11 short tracks. He also covers Indio's "Hard Sun," which also features backing vocals by Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker. (Did I mention I love Sleater-Kinney?)

This soundtrack is screaming my name. But never just take my word for it. Play the Youtube "official video" for "Hard Sun" and judge for yourself:

I love Eddie Vedder's clear, strong vocals on this track. The album will be playing on repeat for a while.

With anthologies, collections of short stories and interviews like these, there are different approaches to reading them. Sort of like how different people eat Oreo cookies -- some twist the biscuit off and lick the creamy goodness first, some bite into the whole cookie, and some dunk it into milk before the bite.

I digress, as always -- though it's a fun question to ask: how do you eat your Oreo cookies? I stuff the whole cookie into my mouth. So if any kid is going to fight me for the cookie, it has my spit all over it. Ha!

Yes, I am one kid that don't play well with others.:p

Back to topic at hand: I bought one book, but ended with two free Uncorrected Proof Copy to bring home.

Some of you may have read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan has a new book out this coming January, In Defence of Food. As he described the thesis of the book so tersely, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

It's about how our concept of what is food have evolved through generations -- how complicated and warped the idea of "real food" has become because of the distortion of marketeers from the food industry. Who knows if this would be a good read? Knowing the truth about the food industry -- will we still be able to eat in peace anymore? I guess we owe it to ourselves to find out as much as we can, and then make informed decisions.

Next freebie is the English translation of Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong, which won this year's Man Asia Literary Prize. But you know what's the irony? I have a copy of the original Chinese edition still unread. Oops.

Wolf Totem was inspired by Jiang Rong's (a pseudonym) journey to Inner Mongolia where he lived for 11 years during the Cultural Revolution. In the story, a young intellectual, Chen Zhen, witnesses the complex relationship between nomads, living simply and maintaining their livestock herds, and the wild wolves of the plains. There is a rich spiritual relationship between native and wolves, until the arrival of fellow Han Chinese from the cities. The city dwellers with their imported ideas of modernity and progress destroyed the fragile balance between wolves and humans.

Did you guys realise I just talked about books I have not read? Heh.

I'm keeping my hands off them at the moment though. I'm trying to keep the Books In Progress down.

Monday, December 17, 2007

As I type this, a part of me is saying to myself: What is she, crazy? It's only the middle of December! But today seems as good a time to lay down your intentions for the coming year as any.

For 2008, I intend to stay more focused on my readings.

I often start too many books on impulse, so much so that at times I have ended up with 15 titles half-read and unfinished. For the coming year I am going to try to reduce that number. I shall make an effort to finish up most of these half-read books.

I shall also try my best to resist starting new books on impulse. Hopefully I can control the number of Books In Progress to a maximum of 3~5 titles at any one time. This may still seem like a lot – yet, still a healthier figure than 15!

My purpose is to allow myself to slow down and better appreciate the books I am reading. I think my usual approach to reading has been a little misguided. It's what Robertson Davies calls "end-gaining" – where I am reading a book just for the sake of being able "to be done" with it.

So for 2008, let's see if I can take time to read more deeply and thoroughly, if not more. Will I have more fun, or will I learn more? Who knows?

I will also need to look into writing more on my readings. Not just the usual pooterish, descriptive posts -- or maybe not even a blog post. Besides this blog, I also keep a handwritten journal where I write everything inside. Sometimes, I use it just to keep notes of my readings, how my yoga practice went, how things are like at work. I would like to write more, and who knows - maybe they would make it as blog posts eventually.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

I received my Christmas gift from my Secret Santa a while back. Imagine my surprise when I came home from work and I saw a package from New Orleans. I was like, "Who do I know from New Orleans?" Then it hit me. Oh. I do know someone from that part of the world: Chris. As it turns out, he's my Secret Santa.

The beauty of the internet is how you get to connect with people from all over, even places where you've never visited in your life.

Click the picture to enlarge.

As I am interested in yoga and Buddhism, Chris was spot on with the Buddha journal. The greatest thing is -- it's a blank journal! I have a thing against lined journal -- I have always preferred blank ones, where I can sketch and vary the size of my writing the way I like. (It's a quirk of mine)

He also threw in a bookmark with the Erasmus quote: "When I have a little money, I buy books...if any is left over I buy food and clothes." This is so true, I just laughed when I saw it. (I suspect this describes a lot of book-bloggers I've met online. You know who you are. :))

Then there is the very pretty bookplates of a cute fairy reading a book. Chris, I promise I'll put it to good use. And I will think of you everytime I open a book and sees this bookplate.

Finally, also from Chris, a Build Your Own Stonehenge set! I've tried taking several pictures of this cute Stonehenge model from several different angles, but I just can't seem to get the focus right. So, just pretend it's misty and mysterious. (Maybe I should have burned some incense to get a smoky effect.)

I have wanted to visit the Stonehenge since I was a child -- because it seems like a place surrounded by such deep mysticism. Now I just need some druids dancing around to complete it...

Thank you again, my Secret Santa. And hugs to our host, Nymeth, for taking the time and trouble to organise this.

I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news. I have been diagnosed with a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, which lay behind this year's phantom "stroke".

We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)

I felt my heart sank when I read about Pratchett's Alzheimer's. Pratchett is one of those authors that has never failed to entertain me with his books. I have read most of the Discworld series (I've stopped around Fifth Elephant, but I'm hooked on the Tiffany Aching series). I've loved his acerbic sense of humour that show us truthfully as the absurd creatures of whims and desires that we are.

Pratchett reminds us this letter is like Granny Weatherwax with her "I aten't dead" sign. He still has a few books left in him yet, he tells us -- he's not yet ready to surrender.

Yogamum will be hosting WoYoPracMo -- where participants make the commitment to practice yoga every day for the month of January, 2008. This is open to yoga practitioners of all levels, so you don't have to be Yes, I've cast aside my usual shyness and signed up.

I had been thinking about setting my intentions for the coming year, and one of them is the renewal of my commitment to a regular yoga practice. This challenge is just the way I want to kick off 2008.

If you're interested in knowing more about it, you can also visit last year's site. Or, just hop over, sign up. See where it takes you!

For 2008, along with the literary classics, I am adding more fantasy and science-fiction, some books on Japanese culture, some biographies into my reading list. As always, this is an aspirational list - the key is just to try to read as many as I can.

A Voice From the Attic: Essays on the Art of Reading • Robertson Davies[13/11/2007 ~

In Search of Lost Time Marcel ProustSwann's WayIn the Shadow of Young Girls in FlowerThe Guermantes WaySodom and GomorrahThe Prisoner & The Fugitive • Marcel Proust[Translated by Carol Clark & Peter Collier][26/11/2007 ~Finding Time Again[Translated by Ian Paterson]

105. In Praise of Shadows Junichiro Tanizaki104. The Cossacks Leo Tolstoy103. The Hall of a Thousand Columns Tim Mackintosh-Smith102. The Places In Between Rory Stewart101. Passage to Juneau: A Sea & Its Meanings Jonathan Raban100. Journey Without Maps Graham Greene99. The Lawless Roads Graham Greene98. The Temptation of Saint Anthony Gustave Flaubert97. The Married Man Edmund White96. The Collected Stories Grace Paley95. Foreign Devils on the Silk Road Peter Hopkirk94. The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia Peter Hopkirk

In Search of Lost Time Marcel ProustSwann's WayIn the Shadow of Young Girls in FlowerThe Guermantes WaySodom and Gomorrah[Translated by John Sturrock][31/12/2006 ~ 24/11/2007]The Prisoner & The Fugitive[Translated by Carol Clark & Peter Collier][26/11/2007 ~Finding Time Again[Translated by Ian Paterson]

A Voice From the Attic: Essays on the Art of Reading Robertson Davies[13/11/2007 ~

The Idylls of the King Alfred, Lord Tennyson[05/11/2007 ~

The City in Crimson Cloak Asli Erdogan[Translated by Amy Spangler][03/11/2007 ~

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

My colleagues are watching me with the anticipation of hyenas for blood this Christmas; They are hoping to be entertained.

Let me explain: Last year on an impulse I piled on the candies, cookies, log cakes and brownies. It was too much too fast and the result was a mind firing on warp-speed. I couldn't stop talking and I was talking so fast no one understood what I was going on about. For two straight hours, I was running around the office like ADHD on speed -- I was on a sugar high and the entire office was there to witness the alarming comedy.

Thankfully that didn't last forever. By 4pm they found me suddenly slumped at my desk, the hood of my jacket pulled over my head. I had crashed. Even this was funny.

This Christmas, the office is speculating on whether I was going to ride on the sugar high again.

Monday, December 10, 2007

I've been busy this December, trying to show up for daily yoga classes and trying to meet up with old friends for dinner -- because I am usually so lousy at staying in touch the rest of the year ;p

Let's just do a pooterish meme today, shall we?

If I understand the rules correctly, I just list 7 random or weird things about myself? Cool.

1) The Most Astonishing Thing I Have Ever Seen? My Naked Face in the Mirror. It's not that I'm narcissistic. Really.

I started wearing glasses when I was 10 years old; my eyesight is so bad that I have to put my face several inches away from the mirror to see my face clearly without glasses.

Then one day I switched to contact lenses. I went into a public restroom and I caught my own reflection in the mirror. For a second I did not recognise my own face without glasses. I haven't really seen my own naked face properly for many years because of my eyesight. It was the most astonishing sight.

2) I Look Like A Vampire On Photos. I have very fair complexion that tends to show up somewhat luminescent on photos. That, complimented by my black hair and a penchant for black clothes, I always end up looking like a vampire.

3) I Do Not Step Out of the House Without Showering/Bathing. Really. If proper shower facilities are available, I am psychologically incapable of leaving the house without a shower. Even when I'm late for work I still take time to shower before I step out of the house.

I think the world is a better place with me well-scrubbed and properly deodorised.

4) I Am Scared of Pink. If a lady in pink is walking towards me on the streets, I would actually move to the side to avoid her. Pink is a colour I associate with bad tasting medicine and vomit. Not sure why.

5) I HATE Chihuahuas. One of my ex, The Aquarius, had a nasty Chihuahua named Playboy, that used to bark at me EVERY TIME I visit. I hated that sorry excuse for a canine. I think toy dogs like Playboy suffer from low self-esteem and too much inbreeding. Why are their eyes so BIG when their bodies and heads are so small?

6) If You Feed Me, I'll Do Your Dishes. I'm better brought up than I allow people to believe. Growing up, my mother taught us to help wash up after meals -- especially if we're at someone else's place. It's so programmed into my system that I would feel uncomfortable if the host doesn't allow me to help with the dishes. Once, my friend WW invited a whole bunch of us to her place for dinner, I ended up doing the dishes for everyone.

So, feed me. I'll wash up for you. Gladly.

7) I Celebrated My 30th Birthday By Asking Someone Out For A Date. It's embarrassing now that I think about it. Several years ago, I had a major crush on G, who was dating my friend at that time. I tried to play it cool by acting aloof and even unfriendly towards G. When G and my friend broke up, we lost touch.

Then several weeks before my 30th birthday I ran into G. We exchanged phone numbers, and later I invited G to watch Russian Dolls -- a movie about turning 30, and not being ready to grow up just yet.

Nothing came out of it, and we haven't spoken to each other for a year now. But I was glad I finally asked G out after all these years. Even if it was in a moment of desperate panic about turning 30. ;p

Sunday, December 09, 2007

So, now it's my turn -- *drumroll* -- welcome to the chaos that is my bookshelves, along with other random stuff. I can't even begin to separate the books read from the books unread -- so it's ALL there.

I have to warn you though -- the pictures are not neat and pretty. What you have are some images of raw, gritty (and occasionally grimy and often dusty), (almost) uncensored Dark Orpheus living space.

If you want to ask how often I dust my bookshelves -- the answer is: any time I happen to be holding the duster in the general vicinity of the shelves. Which is not a frequent phenomena.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

This is my second post on Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud because there is really a lot in this book that I want to share. I have mentioned earlier that Sun Shuyun's book really picked up for me when her narrative reached India.

Sun tells the story of the destruction of the Sakya clan, ruled by the Buddha's own father. (The Buddha would have been king of the Sakya clan if he had not chosen the spiritual path):

The Buddha sat in the middle of the road under the scorching sun. The king who led the attack stopped and asked him why he did not seek shade under a leafy tree nearby. The Buddha replied: 'My clan is like the leaves. Now you are going to cut them off, I have no shade.' Three times he managed to persuade the king to turn back. But the fourth time, the king swept past him. He killed all the men, buried all the women and burned down the capital of Kapilavastu. For all his power, the Buddha was powerless to prevent it. Nothing is permanent, he would say. A thousand years of Buddhism, a thousand years of Islam. The only inevitablity is change.

A part of me wondered: if the Buddha had been king, would he had been able to prevent the destruction of his clan in his own lifetime at least? For when the Buddha was still a child, old man told his fortune and said he would either be a great teacher or a great king - but perhaps it would only have delayed the process. Nothing lasts forever.

India was the birthplace of the Budddha and Buddhism. Yet by the time Xuanzang reached India, Buddhism was already in decline. By the 11th century, the Afghan invaders dealt the final blow: jungles swallowed all the thousands of Buddhist monuments, and mosques or Hindu temples were built on their foundations.

According to Sun, until 150 years ago, both the Indians and people in the West had little idea who the Buddha was. She cited the Encyclopaedia Brittannica from 1942, with its entry on Buddhism - it defines Buddha as "one of the two appearances of Vishnu". It baffles the mind that Buddhism could have been forgotten in the land of its birth - and yet it is. We imagine that society and culture advance naturally as time progresses, and knowledge is incremental. We are blind to the fact that as we push forward in some areas, many things are also lost through neglect.

The story behind the rediscovery of the Buddha in India is remarkable, because it seems to bring the story full-circle to Xuanzang. In the 1850s, Fa Xian's Record of Buddhist Countries and Xuanzang's Record of the Western Regions were translated into French an English. The two accounts had always existed in China, and they were suddenly 'discovered' by European orientalists. The two books mapped out a thousand years history of Buddhism, with all the significant sites and their importance, with details of monastries and the monks who inhabited them. Heinrich Schliemann found the location of Troy through a close reading of The Iliad and Alexander Cummingham, the first Director of the Archaeological Society of India -- decided to use the Chinese monks' records as guide to shed light on the history of Buddhist India. So his quest led to the excavations of Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where the Buddha became enlightened; Sravasti, where he spent most of his life teaching and many other important sites in Buddhist history.

When Xuanzang set out on his journey to India, his intention was to bring back to China the true teachings of the Buddha. He felt that over the years, Buddhism as it was practiced in China has been diluted and he had questions that had to be answered. How was he to know that one day the Buddhist faith itself would be erased from India, the land of its birth? Or that Xuanzang's records would be the catalyst to bringing back Buddhism to India?

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Somehow I don’t think tourism will diminish there. Antarctica has a powerful pull for some people, doesn’t it?

Yeah. I saw a blogger ask why people have to go there. Well, it changes how you see the world. That’s why people have to go there. When you’re thrown into such extremes, at least where I was in McMurdo, the sensory deprivation is extraordinary. Colors are reduced to white, blue, and suddenly blue has 9,000 variations you didn’t see before. And there’s no sound when you’re standing on the Ross Ice Shelf. There’s always some kind of noise around us when we’re at home, even the hum of the refrigerator. Suddenly you can be in a place where there’s no sound at all. You realize that’s not an experience you can have many places in the world. It’s spooky. Now, I don’t know whether anyone on these cruise ships is having that experience.

What’s more, all things are frozen so there’s almost no smell. And where I was the diet was really limited. So your taste is kind of reduced, too. When I left—I didn’t want to leave, but my time was up—and got to New Zealand, I was just assaulted by the warm air. I went out to dinner and ordered a salad and just chewed and chewed. I was so delighted and thought, how could I have not wanted to come back to this? I was on this sensory overload when I got back. It made me see the world differently.

With anything that’s as extreme as that, you have to be changed. To me, the point of travel is to come back changed. I am a pilgrim. When I go out, I want to return to where I’m from and see things differently from when I set out. Antarctica does that to you.

Susan Fox Rogers is the editor for the Traveler's Tales: Antarctica: Life On the Ice

For those interested in yoga, check out this YouTube video -- yoga against the wall -- with soundtrack. Can I do it? Of course -- the only thing stopping me is the fear of falling off and dying!

Then there is Ana Forrest -- one of the strongest yogini I have ever seen. In the Youtube videos below (broken into 2 parts), you can see Ana Forrest demonstrating various advance yoga poses -- showing the kind of strength and flexibility that set me in awe.

Why am I posting these? The truth is, my practice has been flagging lately. My favourite teachers have left the studio where I practice, and it has been difficult trying to find the motivation to keep showing up for yoga classes. So I seek out these Youtube videos of some of the yoga teachers who inspire me, just to remind myself why I need to show up on the mat.

Maybe it's a short-term fix, but I'm just giving myself a good kick out of my complacency. Inspiration to practice isn't going to just fall on my lap while I'm sitting here mopping.

In a 1984 interview in The Paris Review, the writer Darryl Pinckney asked her about her feelings about getting older. “Its only value is that it spares you the opposite, not growing older,” she said, adding: “Oh, the dear grave. I like what Gottfried Benn wrote, something like, ‘May I die in the spring when the ground is soft and easy to plough.’

I read Sleepless Nights earlier this year and it was a book I find difficult to write about. What do you say about a book that is inherent diffused in its structure? It defies the conventional narrative of coherence and meaning, more like a journal of a life lived in moments and memories -- but haven't I read enough Proust to realise that our lives are lived in intermittent memories?

I was -- dare I say, impressed -- by Sleep Nights with its elusive, smoke-like narratives. I wish now to read Seduction and Betrayal. Why does the death of the author drive us to read their books more?

I know I've just returned from a holiday, and I should be well-rested. But my eyes are already scouting for possible travel destinations for 2008 (or 2009). Is it premature? Maybe. But the world is immense, and there will always be places we have not seen -- or might never see. (I would like to visit the Antarctica -- but everything I have read about it scares me. I guess there lies the appeal.)

One of my colleague is saving for her Spain trip next year. I am envious, as Spain is one of those places I want to visit.

Then I discovered something unusual on my library account yesterday: I had no books on loan -- AT ALL. I had returned all my library books because I wanted to avoid the overdue charges when I am on holiday, and I have not borrowed anything since.

Still: no books at all? That is something I felt I have to rectify. So, I sauntered down to the library last evening and bagged myself some books:

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Spain - I usually go for the Lonely Planet guides when I'm planning a trip. DK guides tend to be more expensive and they are also heavier -- less handy to carry around. That said, I still I enjoy looking at the pictures inside the DK guides. They give me a sense of what I might want to see in that country. I wouldn't buy them unless they are on sale, but I love the library for making them available.

Don Fernando by W. Somerset Maugham - I find myself addicted to Maugham's writings. It also helps that the blurb at the back says Graham Greene (another of my literary favourite) considered Don Fernando to be Maugham's best work. Don Fernando is a collection of essays by Maugham on Spanish culture and civilisation. It begins with the tale of Loyola, and moves on to discuss the writing of St. Teresa, the paintings of El Greco and other Spanish artists and writers.

The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax - Jenclair first wrote about this book, then Sharon. It has been on my radar for a while. Last night at the library, a copy of The Spanish Bow was sitting in plain sight on the New Arrivals Highlights. Fate had decreed I read this book. I obey.

What else did I borrow? Edmund White's Hotel de Dream was sitting right next to The Spanish Bow, so I swiped it. I also picked up Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris and Re-readings because I thought it would be nice to re-read some of the essays.